The iPhone 16 Pro could get a charging boost, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max might have better cameras
Apple has big plans for the iPhone's telephoto camera
While most iPhone leaks are currently focused on the iPhone 16 line, one source isn’t content to stop there, as they’ve just revealed possible camera details for various models all the way up to the iPhone 19.
The source in question is Ming-Chi Kuo – an analyst with a good track record for Apple information – and starting with the iPhone 16 line they claim that the iPhone 16 Pro will have the same 5x telephoto camera as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will apparently have this too, meaning the telephoto camera won’t be getting upgraded on the top model.
We’ve heard that before, but more interestingly Kuo claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a new 48MP telephoto sensor, in place of the 12MP one used currently. Kuo claims that it’s unclear whether the iPhone 17 Pro will also get this upgrade, but if not then the iPhone 18 Pro apparently will.
Finally, Kuo claims that some phones in the iPhone 19 line will have even better telephoto cameras, with longer-distance optical zoom. Kuo doesn’t say which iPhone 19 models will benefit from this, but presumably the iPhone 19 Pro Max would, and perhaps also the iPhone 19 Pro, although of course those phones are a long way out at this point.
Speeding towards faster charging
While some of these camera upgrades are apparently a long way off, we could see some charging improvements much sooner. A leaker on Weibo (spotted by IT Home and NotebookCheck) claims that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will both have 40W charging, which would be up from around 27W on the current models. Wireless charging will also apparently get a boost, rising from 15W to 20W.
That would still leave these phones charging much slower than some Android rivals, which can reach and in a few cases even exceed 100W – although Apple’s biggest smartphone competitor is Samsung, and the most you’ll get on a Samsung phone is 45W, so this rumored upgrade would largely close that gap.
However, this source doesn’t have much of a track record, so we’d certainly take this claim with a pinch of salt, especially as it’s the first we’re hearing of it. Ming-Chi Kuo has a much better record, so the camera claims above may well be accurate. But we’d also advise caution regarding any claim about the iPhone 17 and beyond, as even if Kuo is right about Apple’s current plans, they may well change.
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We should find out all the official specs of the iPhone 16 line fairly soon, though, with these phones likely to land in September.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.